Swan Lake / Dance of the Little Swans

During the failed 1991 August Coup in the Soviet Union, state-run television stations broadcast recordings of the ballet Swan Lake, instead of news about the political unrest. There were several other instances in Soviet history in which Swan Lake was played on state TV during times of political uncertainty, and Swan Lake has since become connected with regime change. Memes invoking the Dance of the Little Swans are often used to express a desire for an overthrow of the Russian government. There were many memes of this type during and after the failed coup attempt of Wagner leader Evgenii Prigozhin in June 2023.